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[Wario64]

Rumors:

The XBox 360 will have a 40 gig HDD add-on w/a preloaded updated (graphics/maps) version of Halo 2. (The XBox Media Center version will have a smaller 10 gig HDD) You'll be able to load games to it and switch to them on the fly if you get an invite.

edit:Size of HDD drives still being finalized. MS trying to keep costs down...due to go into production in August

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

The new Live will use Gamercards. Everyone will have a profile that will list the games you've been playing recently, your average skill level and more. Since you can preload games, if you got an invite from someone playing something else, you can switch to that game w/a touch of a button. Also, the servers are setup to handle all the geometry and hard calcualtions on there end for Live play...expect AWESOME detailed games running lag free on Live.

The Xbox 360 WILL have downloadable games that you'll be able to purchase early AND at a reduced price.

The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor.

And NO backwards compatability for Xbox360.

 

[john tv]

THE HD ERA IS UPON US

 

[pilonv1]

Sauce?

 

[Mrbob]

40 gig that's it? What the shit.

 

[nitewulf]

one of the outputs will be DVI surely?

 

[BuddyC]

i am so tired of these halo rumors

 

[Meantime]

Also, the servers are setup to handle all the geometry and hard calcualtions on there end for Live play...expect AWESOME detailed games running lag free on Live.

Does this part actually mean anything? I'm trying to see it, but I'm not getting anywhere. Servers... handle... geometry?

 

[Suranga3]

Damn, if the games look good when their shown @ E3, I'll be getting one on midnight release.

 

[Odnetnin]

Rumors:

The XBox 360 will have a 40 gig HDD add-on w/a preloaded updated (graphics/maps) version of Halo 2. (The XBox Media Center version will have a smaller 10 gig HDD) You'll be able to load games to it and switch to them on the fly if you get an invite.

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

The new Live will use Gamercards. Everyone will have a profile that will list the games you've been playing recently, your average skill level and more. Since you can preload games, if you got an invite from someone playing something else, you can switch to that game w/a touch of a button. Also, the servers are setup to handle all the geometry and hard calcualtions on there end for Live play...expect AWESOME detailed games running lag free on Live.

The Xbox 360 WILL have downloadable games that you'll be able to purchase early AND at a reduced price.

The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor.

And NO backwards compatability for Xbox360.

no source? That downloadable game comment's a bit scary/good, I guess. SOmeone's going to find a way to hack the system and then it'd be P2P xenon games.

and whatever.. the halo 3 schtick is fucked up.

 

[Mrbob]

You can buy 80 GIG hdds nowadays for nearly the same price as 40 gig HDDs (Difference is like 5 bucks). Don't skimp MS. Especially if you are selling it as an add on! I'd like to see a 120GIG or 160 GIG hdd for Xbox 360.

Downloadable game demos of every Xbox 360 game will be one of the best things next gen. Hopefully this pans out to be true.

 

[IJoel]

Considering Allard mentioned that they'd have something special for Halo 2 fanatics for next gen, I don't doubt an Xbox 2 version of it.

 

[VALIS]

And NO backwards compatability for Xbox360.

I didn't think so. I know these are just rumors, but I saw an interview with Allard after GDC and he looked pretty perturbed when asked any backwards compatibility questions, like he wishes the whole issue would just go away.

 

[FiRez]

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

Big BOO HO! to MS if this is true, but good decision for the VGA out (I heard that the 1st was going to have this but it was scrapped)

 

[op_ivy]

Rumors:

The XBox 360 will have a 40 gig HDD add-on w/a preloaded updated (graphics/maps) version of Halo 2. (The XBox Media Center version will have a smaller 10 gig HDD) You'll be able to load games to it and switch to them on the fly if you get an invite.

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

i dont buy it

 

[capslock]

Rumors:

The XBox 360 will have a 40 gig HDD add-on w/a preloaded updated (graphics/maps) version of Halo 2. (The XBox Media Center version will have a smaller 10 gig HDD) You'll be able to load games to it and switch to them on the fly if you get an invite.

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

The new Live will use Gamercards. Everyone will have a profile that will list the games you've been playing recently, your average skill level and more. Since you can preload games, if you got an invite from someone playing something else, you can switch to that game w/a touch of a button. Also, the servers are setup to handle all the geometry and hard calcualtions on there end for Live play...expect AWESOME detailed games running lag free on Live.

The Xbox 360 WILL have downloadable games that you'll be able to purchase early AND at a reduced price.

The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor.

And NO backwards compatability for Xbox360.

So, all the good stuff that was supposed to be in Halo was instead saved for Halo 3? Okay......



I don't understand the stuff about the server handling geometry part, it doesn't make any sense.

 

[Joe]

i dont think downloadable games are realistic but i think downloadable game demo's are very realistic and would be amazingly cool and publishers/developers would LOVE it.

 

[op_ivy]

Considering Allard mentioned that they'd have something special for Halo 2 fanatics for next gen, I don't doubt an Xbox 2 version of it.

quote please.

 

[Mrbob]

i dont buy it

Why not? Halo 3 is probably aways off at the moment. I *hope* this is true. Updated version of Halo 2 with online co-op is something I have wanted since the beginning!

 

[golem]

sounded ok until the two video outputs part.. sounds like a fanboy dream

 

[rsilva13]

I've just been edged closer to the xbox 360 bandwagon....
only closer not on it though

 

[jett]

"The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor."

Man, that's what ALL the fucking next gen consoles should have, so I can run my games in HD without buying an uber expensive TV.

 

[Hollywood]

Pirate-a-mania time now baby. MSoft put a quarter in your ass cause you played yourself!

 

[Gregory]

They are really fucking stupid if they use harddrives again. Do they want all the piracy they have on Xbox again ?

 

[Mrbob]

They are really fucking stupid if they use harddrives again. Do they want all the piracy they have on Xbox again ?

It'll be sold seperately. I'd rather spend $100 on a 120GIG hDD than a 1 gig memory stick.

 

[IJoel]

quote please.

Curses! You made me look through a bunch of articles!

Anyway, here it is:

What about those kick ass Halo 2 players who wanna be able to continue their reputation on the next Xbox? What if they can’t play that game?

J. Allard: We’ll have something for those kick ass Halo 2 players on the next system.


So you’ll be able to play Halo 2 on Xbox 2?

J. Allard: We’ll have something for those kick ass Halo 2 players in the next generation.


Is the next generation Xbox going to be backwards compatible or not?

J. Allard: You keep asking a question I’m not going to answer Geoff. Does that satisfy you?

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8001/J-Allard-Talks-Backward-Compatibility-Halo-2-and-Xbox-2/

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Does this part actually mean anything? I'm trying to see it, but I'm not getting anywhere. Servers... handle... geometry?

That part caughtme too. That sounds like the absolute opposite of what would work. Hard calculations are done locally so that they don't hog bandwidth and can are (for all intents and purposes) not sources of lag.

I call this as BS. That sentence just doesn't make sense.

 

[Mrbob]

Now that I think about it, Xbox 360 is going to have USB 2.0 ports, right? HDD will probably be a portable drive that hooks up into the USB 2.0 port???

 

[Pedigree Chum]

The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor.

<3

I got a kicking LCD that would love some hi-def Xenon goodness. Good job MS.

 

[op_ivy]

Why not? Halo 3 is probably aways off at the moment. I *hope* this is true. Updated version of Halo 2 with online co-op is something I have wanted since the beginning!

cause the same exact quotes existed for halo 1.5, and that never came to pass (or exist according to bungie)

 

[FightyF]

DVI...or HDMI?

 

[DopeyFish]

this sounds fanmade... considering bungie project info is never leaked. It totally discredits this info.

 

[Suikoguy]

Assuming this is true;

Fragmenting the userbase is a bad idea
Lack of backwards compatiblity PERIOD is a bad idea

.. but then again, I saw this a long time ago.
People, when ms came into this section of the industry, assumed that beacuse of their giant wads of cash, they would be giving the xbox away. In a way they did, selling it at a loss since launch, where the competition eventually turned a profit on hardware sales. Whether people noticed it or not, they assumed that this would continue. Anybody who knows about buisness would know that a company does not run that way. Now, ms is cutting costs to make cash.. IE what they should have done last gen.

MS used last gen as a bait and switch. Got everybody all excited about the feature rich xbox with built in HDD. Most powerful, built in internet, built in hdd etc. Now, next gen comes. Guess what? No HDD Built in, Not the most poweful. etc. No backwards compatiblity which has become a staple of a console since the PS2 (Ever wonder why the GBA had backwards compatiblity?). Classic, yet longterm, bait and switch. Unfortunatly, I don't think most casual consumers will see it since its such a long term 4 year switch.

So why is MS not including the HDD, jumping the gun to reach the market before the competion. So they can make money this time. The question now becomes, did people purchase the xbox beacuse of the HDD, power and features, and if so, will the xbox 360 just become a 2nd choice console?

This is simply why i've hated MS when they entered the industy.. I saw this all coming.

Of course, this whole rant could mean nothing when Xbox 360 is offically annouced

 

[BuddyC]

this sounds fanmade... considering bungie project info is never leaked. It totally discredits this info.

remember halo 2?

Lack of backwards compatiblity PERIOD is a bad idea

is it really? if the 360 lineup is as strong as has been rumored, then they really don't need backwards compatibility.

 

[DopeyFish]

microsoft would be planning the hard drive as non fragmented addon. meaning having one wont add in-game features or anything. It's just one of many ways of storing things... if it's games... well that really doesn't make the games any different, does it

maybe in terms of loading... but that's about it. The games will play exactly the same

 

[FightyF]

BC for the Xbox 360 would be absolutely retarded. "Let's jack up the price of the console by $50 so people can play OLD GAMES!"

Sheesh...

 

[DopeyFish]

remember halo 2?

Yes. When no one knew a lick of info until a disc was taken out of a french pressing plant when the game was done.

 

[Suikoguy]

remember halo 2?


is it really? if the 360 lineup is as strong as has been rumored, then they really don't need backwards compatibility.

Hardcore gamers, yeah, they could care less.
Have you forgotten what % HC gamers make up?

 

[BuddyC]

Yes. When no one knew a lick of info until a disc was taken out of a french pressing plant when the game was done.

There were rumors about Covenant play going around even before E3 of last year.

Hardcore gamers, yeah, they could care less.
Have you forgotten what % HC gamers make up?

this argument is really really fucking stupid unless you access to some hard numbers. i sure don't.

 

[Optimistic]

You can buy 80 GIG hdds nowadays for nearly the same price as 40 gig HDDs (Difference is like 5 bucks)

And what's $5 x 30 000 000? They're not just building one xbox 2, you know. The difference for MS or any other console manufacturer isn't a mere $5, it's millions all told.

 

[Blimblim]

Rumors:

The XBox 360 will have a 40 gig HDD add-on w/a preloaded updated (graphics/maps) version of Halo 2. (The XBox Media Center version will have a smaller 10 gig HDD) You'll be able to load games to it and switch to them on the fly if you get an invite.

edit:Size of HDD drives still being finalized. MS trying to keep costs down...due to go into production in August

As far as I've been told, there is NO Halo 2.5.

The online co-op for Halo 2 WAS running flawless but MS decided to save it for Halo 3. (wanted to have something new that Halo 2 didn't have.) Bungie wanted Halo 2 to be the last in the series but MS changed it midway through development to an on-going series. All the cuts/missing stuff we seen IS being saved for Halo 3. The Ark level, online co-op, dual wielded a jackal shield (hold trigger to block w/it.) and more.

Could be.

The new Live will use Gamercards. Everyone will have a profile that will list the games you've been playing recently, your average skill level and more. Since you can preload games, if you got an invite from someone playing something else, you can switch to that game w/a touch of a button. Also, the servers are setup to handle all the geometry and hard calcualtions on there end for Live play...expect AWESOME detailed games running lag free on Live.

Gamercards, yes. Geometry on the server? Bahaha.

The Xbox 360 WILL have downloadable games that you'll be able to purchase early AND at a reduced price.

Could be, it's not that simple on the publisher side.

The XBox 360 will also have 2 video outputs, one of the outputs may be hooked up to a monitor.

Yes. DVI or HDMI I don't know yet.

And NO backwards compatability for Xbox360.

Time will tell.

 

[DopeyFish]

There were rumors about Covenant play going around even before E3 of last year.

which of course were fan rumors. It was locked down very very very tight.

It's like saying "woah! you know what would be cool?! using 2 weapons at once" before Halo 2 was announced and claiming it was a proper rumor. Nothing from the game was leaked until it hit the presses

oh yeah and the geometry on the server and hard calculations thing is complete and utter bullshit. A ping of 50ms to the server means that any calculations sent back and forth would be equal to 10 fps gameplay. and 50ms ping is pretty damn good. what happens if you have a 120 ping to servers? you expect it to only help with 4 frames per second?

The latency is still too high for standard use broadband data computation/distribution.

 

[FightyF]

No backwards compatiblity which has become a staple of a console since the PS2 (Ever wonder why the GBA had backwards compatiblity?).

I had to respond to this because it's not taking into account a couple of extremely important factors:

1) PS2 succeeded one of the best selling home consoles. BC made sense because many people HAD PSOne software.

2) PS2 succeeded a console that was more than half a decade old, meaning that it could be emulated. Plus, the PSOne didn't use super-propietary hardware, meaning it could be easily emulated (heck, PCs were emulating it at the time).

3) The GBA had BC, but at a cost to the performance! Some elements of GBA games used GB technology. Kinda like the 32X, which built upon the Genesis tech, but the Genny was still doing things like game bgs and such.

The PS3, Revolution and Xbox 360 will be hard pressed to even emulate the Dreamcast, because of it's propietary technology that works very differently than most hardware (try doing the volumetric lighting that the PowerVR architexture did with ease...look at the inferior GameCube version of Sonic Adventure 2 as an example). Not to say that they won't emulate the GC or PS2, because they can (and it's obvious as to how and why). But you can't expect MS to redesign the 360 so it's less effecient, more costly, and going with Nvidia just for the sake of BC. I'd rather them think ahead and go with what they see what hardware components will make them the best console.

People pushing for BC on the Xbox just aren't thinking straight.

 

[BuddyC]

which of course were fan rumors. It was locked down very very very tight.

It's like saying "woah! you know what would be cool?! using 2 weapons at once" before Halo 2 was announced and claiming it was a proper rumor. Nothing from the game was leaked until it hit the presses.

there's really no way to prove that, one way or another.

 

[Pachinko]

Ultimatly the software lineup will determine how worthwhile this next xbox is but I have to say at this blind speculation and rumour mongering stage that news of no HD and no BC have alarm bells ringing , sure we don't technically need BC . A new and likely better sequel to most of the popular games out there will be available on the new system and if you get down to it BC was a mere novelty on teh PS2 , I used it for a few months before the system had any good games of its own.

Basically the only reason I'd want BC on Xenon is so that I could sell my old xbox and have more coffee table space. Without BC I'll have to keep it to play my older favorite games.


The Harddrive support thing is more important I think, the Xbox has made me used to the idea of having a place to store custom soundtracks and give me improved load times in most games, plus if they do plan a game/demo downloading service why woudl they make a consoel without an HD just to alienate some of the userbase ? So in conclusion I either want to see an HD still thrown in the system or at the very least some form of large internal storage space- like atleast as much has the first xbox had. If they use the HD in the exact same way I'd like to see it able to cache 10 games at once instead of 3...

 

[Ryudo]

Assuming this is true;

Fragmenting the userbase is a bad idea
Lack of backwards compatiblity PERIOD is a bad idea

.. but then again, I saw this a long time ago.
People, when ms came into this section of the industry, assumed that beacuse of their giant wads of cash, they would be giving the xbox away. In a way they did, selling it at a loss since launch, where the competition eventually turned a profit on hardware sales. Whether people noticed it or not, they assumed that this would continue. Anybody who knows about buisness would know that a company does not run that way. Now, ms is cutting costs to make cash.. IE what they should have done last gen.

MS used last gen as a bait and switch. Got everybody all excited about the feature rich xbox with built in HDD. Most powerful, built in internet, built in hdd etc. Now, next gen comes. Guess what? No HDD Built in, Not the most poweful. etc. No backwards compatiblity which has become a staple of a console since the PS2 (Ever wonder why the GBA had backwards compatiblity?). Classic, yet longterm, bait and switch. Unfortunatly, I don't think most casual consumers will see it since its such a long term 4 year switch.

So why is MS not including the HDD, jumping the gun to reach the market before the competion. So they can make money this time. The question now becomes, did people purchase the xbox beacuse of the HDD, power and features, and if so, will the xbox 360 just become a 2nd choice console?

This is simply why i've hated MS when they entered the industy.. I saw this all coming.

Of course, this whole rant could mean nothing when Xbox 360 is offically annouced

So you hate a company for trying not to make a loss ..... Guess you hate all companies that arent bankrupt .... :lol

As for features, they obviouslt mean nothing. Its all about the games.

 

[Meantime]

oh yeah and the geometry on the server and hard calculations thing is complete and utter bullshit.

Of course it's bullshit. Unless... perhaps the server does some stuff with the geometry and shit, and then sends you an mpeg movie or something. Yeah, that'll work.

But I'm sure the rest of the story is completely accurate and fully grounded in solid, factual evidence. Yeah.

 

[Blimblim]

There were rumors about Covenant play going around even before E3 of last year.

He, I remember very well being told about this Covenant twist, and a few hours later someone starting speculating about it on GAF. I also remember very well being almost accused of having leaked the information. The timing was almost perfect (and no I did not leak it ). Then the whole game was leaked so we got our confirmation quickly enough.

 

[Srider]

is it really? if the 360 lineup is as strong as has been rumored, then they really don't need backwards compatibility.

I think it's pretty pointless for the new xbox to be backwards compatible. MS is a technology driven company, including this feature will only add to the cost and encourage the consumer to be reluctant to fully adopt the new technology. I can already imagine the problem of porting games that calls use of the hd, for example, to work on a machine where it's an optional feature....

 

[Panajev2001a]

is it really? if the 360 lineup is as strong as has been rumored, then they really don't need backwards compatibility.

They do: it is a very good thing to have: increases perceived value of the console, assures that the money you spent on previous generation Software is not wasted going to the new system, it saves space and TV connections, etc...

Aren't you guys telling everyone the dminishing returns on graphics are upon us ? Then shouldn't Xbox 1 games, say with some enhanced things like better AA and Texture Filtering (provided by the emulation software), look relatively good compared to Xbox 2 games and certainly there should be a smaller jump from Xbox 1 games to Xbox 2 games visually ?

Personally, I went back toa LOTS of PSOne games on the PlayStation 2 and I think I will play PSOne games and PlayStation 2 games on the PlayStation 3 if backward-compatibility allows me (I think SCE knows backward-compatibility is important) and GCN games on Revolution.

 

[DopeyFish]

He, I remember very well being told about this Covenant twist, and a few hours later someone starting speculating about it on GAF. I also remember very well being almost accused of having leaked the information. The timing was almost perfect (and no I did not leak it ). Then the whole game was leaked so we got our confirmation quickly enough.

you too?!

I was sold like an hour before...

then some dude said something about it.... (DrSandwich or something) AND THEY WERE ALL HOUNDING ME!!! I was distraught for the rest of the night

the thread which freaked them out: http://ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=18663